And the candidates are ...Council filings submitted for November election

Friday was the deadline for most local city council candidate filings, and city clerks around the county saw a flurry of activity.

In Fortuna, two seats currently held by Mayor Douglas Strehl and Councilman Ken Zanzi are up for election. As of Friday, Strehl -- who was appointed to the council in 2005 after Mayor Tom Cooke died and was elected to office in 2008 -- had filed.

Additional filers include Tami Gillam-Trent, the owner/operator of Tangles hair salon in Fortuna, and Fortuna Les Schwab Tires assistant manager Josh Brown. Gillam-Trent said she's lived in Fortuna for about 40 years and has served on the city's planning commission for the last 10 years. Brown has lived in Fortuna for nearly seven years and is an ambassador for the Fortuna Chamber of Commerce.

Fortuna City Clerk Linda Jensen said Zanzi -- who was elected to the council in 2008 -- is not seeking re-election. Under state law, that means filings for his seat will be accepted through Aug. 15 at 5 p.m.

In Arcata, the seats currently held by Mayor Michael Winkler, Vice Mayor Shane Brinton and Councilwoman Susan Ornelas are up for grabs. Winkler, Brinton and Ornelas have served on the council since 2008. All three have submitted candidacy papers, along with Arcata Kineticab owner Mark Sailors, community volunteer Jolian Kangas, and child care provider Valerie Rose-Campbell.

Rose-Campbell's signatures were scheduled to be verified on Monday, according to the Arcata City Clerk's Office.

In Blue Lake, three city council seats currently held by Councilwoman Karen Barnes, Councilwoman Lana Manzanita and Councilwoman Michele McCall-Wallace are up. Manzanita, a retired teacher, filed her papers along with environmental director Stephen Kullman and restaurant businessman Gregory Sawatzky.

In Eureka, Melinda Ciarabellini is running unopposed for the 4th Ward seat. She was appointed in January 2011 by Mayor Frank Jager to fill his position on the council after he won the mayoral election. Ciarabellini has qualified for the November ballot.

The 2nd Ward seat currently held by Linda Atkins is also up. Atkins was elected in 2008, when she defeated incumbent Polly Endert, and is finishing up her first term on the council. Atkins also qualified for the November election, City Clerk Pam Powell said.

Running against Atkins in the 2nd Ward will be Joe Bonino, a payroll tech for Humboldt State University.

Candidates for the Ferndale City Council have until Monday at 4 p.m. to file their papers. The city's offices were closed Friday.

The three seats currently held by Mayor Jeff Farley, Councilman Stuart Titus and Councilman Ken Mierzwa are all up for election.

As of Wednesday, City Clerk Nancy Kaytis-Slocum said no applications had been received for the two city council seats, which are for four-year terms. Only one application, from Titus, had been submitted for the mayor's position. Titus has served as a councilman since 2004.

Farley -- who has been mayor since 2006 -- said Friday that he's not running for reelection. Instead, he plans to focus on his position as a director with the Humboldt County Fair Association.

Mierzwa said Friday that he's running for reelection and filed his paperwork Thursday.

Ferndale Planning Commissioner Dan Brown has expressed an interest in running for a seat, after serving on the commission for seven years. Brown said Friday that he's taken out his paperwork and plans to file it by Monday's deadline.

The council is facing another open seat due to the death of Councilman Niels Lorenzen last month. The council will be appointing a Ferndale resident to fill the remaining two years of Lorenzen's term during an upcoming meeting.

Down south in Rio Dell, the city seats currently filled by Councilman Frank Wilson and Councilman Jack Thompson are up for grabs. As of Friday, Rio Dell City Clerk Karen Dunham said only the two incumbents have filed paperwork. She said it's likely the city council will choose to cancel its election, and simply have the two incumbents appointed to the council by the rest of its members.

Thompson was elected in 2008 and Wilson was appointed to the seat vacated by former Councilman Marc Barsanti in 2011.

In the northern part of the county, there are two seats up for election on the Trinidad City Council. The seats are currently held by Councilwoman Julie Fulkerson and Councilman Mike Morgan. Fulkerson confirmed via email that she filed her candidacy papers Friday afternoon. Calls placed to the city clerk were not immediately returned, and it is unclear if any other candidates have filed.